First off I'd like to introduce myself as this is my first blog ever on this site. My name is Zachary MacKrell and I am a die hard Sabres fan from Youngstown, NY. I've been a Sabres fan all my life, all 19 years of it. It may not seem long compared to the longevity of a lot of other fans, but I assure you I am every bit as emotionally committed to this team.

Now lets get right down to it. You can blame the injuries all you want. But the defining factor for the Buffalo Sabres this year for the most part has been a flat and inconsistent effort.

Some nights they come out firing, while others they come out sluggish. In the games where they come out firing they either get a goal or two lead and then resort back to the flat play that has defined them all year. Or they get a plethora of chances in the first period and just cant convert so they hang their heads for the rest of the game.

The inconsistent effort is becoming increasingly frustrating to watch as each game passes. Even if the Sabres are winning they just look panicked. It's as if they're so afraid they are going to blow the lead that they let their opponents get back into it. They don't skate hard, turn the puck over a ridiculous amount of times, and back themselves deep into their own end just surrendering their zone to their opposition.

That's the sign of a team that is just flat out lost. A team completely void of any type of swagger. Lindy Ruff can do all the coaching he wants, but if his players don't respond to that then its time to move on. Either a big time trade needs to be made, which moves out core players like Roy and Stafford who don't seem to lead this team in any sort of right direction. The pitch Lindy Ruff has been selling to this team seems to have become stale, and then that happens those players need to be relocated elsewhere. And if that doesn't happen then it will be time to say goodbye to Darcy Regier and Lindy Ruff, as hard as that may be.

If this season isn't totally lost, which I'm fairly certain it's getting close to that point, then one of those two options needs to take place. The trade market should be a very hot right now with teams like Columbus, Anaheim, and Edmonton all looking to move some substantial players. So it would seem to be a good time for Mr. Regier to deeply involve himself in trade conversations with the GM's of these teams.

The time to make a move is now, unless the organization is OK with falling out of playoff contention.